


Step Once, Move Twice

by Lady Adain (pocketTherapist)



Category: Bleach
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pirate, Fake Betrayal, M/M, UraIchi Week 2019
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-21
Updated: 2019-05-21
Packaged: 2020-03-09 02:34:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18907759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pocketTherapist/pseuds/Lady%20Adain
Summary: They call her the Moon-Cutter, for the way the black masts cast their shadows across the moon when she prowls near enough an island to be seen. She’s a two-masted Brigantine, a little lighter on the crew than most, but she makes up for it with sheer firepower. The dragon that snarls from her bowsprit is painted a bleached white, as opposed to the dark sails. It’s hard to mistake her for anyone else, certainly.They talk about her, everyone does, whispering fearful-hopeful rumors of her and her captain and their penchant for overthrowing the corrupt and wicked and cruel. He swears loyalty to no one, her flag flies only his colors, and the government of the archipelago trembles in fear and fury.The Central Government sends the Crimson Princess after her.





	Step Once, Move Twice

**Author's Note:**

> UraIchi Week 2019, Day 2! Different First Meetings/Established Relationship.
> 
> And so I made a Pirate AU, of course.

They call her the Moon-Cutter, for the way the black masts cast their shadows across the moon when she prowls near enough an island to be seen. She’s a two-masted Brigantine, a little lighter on the crew than most, but she makes up for it with sheer firepower. The dragon that snarls from her bowsprit is painted a bleached white, as opposed to the dark sails. It’s hard to mistake her for anyone else, certainly.

 

They talk about her, everyone does, whispering fearful-hopeful rumors of her and her captain and their penchant for overthrowing the corrupt and wicked and cruel. He swears loyalty to no one, her flag flies only his colors, and the government of the archipelago trembles in fear and fury. 

 

The Central Government sends the Crimson Princess after her. 

 

It would ordinarily be suicide, sending a tiny little clipper after a warship, no matter how fast the clipper. But the Princess’ captain is a man less known and more feared, a privateer who most have never heard of and never will. Urahara Kisuke is a genius by all accounts, a strategist and captain of unparalleled skill. 

 

He lays a trap. 

 

The unsuspecting captain of the Moon-Cutter, unaware that  _ anyone _ dares hunt him, much less Uraraha, sails into it with abandon. He ports at a little inlet on the other side of Karakura, dropping anchor, and as soon as the tide goes out that night, Urahara strikes. The Crimson Princess is nearly silent as she glides up, blocking their escape and out of range of their guns, and then they board. 

 

The Crimson Princess is not a ship full of pirates. She is not designed to do battle. The Crimson Princess holds  _ assassins _ in her throat. 

  
  
  


Kisuke is first among the carefully-picked boarding party, his blade at the ready, each of his companions nearly as quiet and (nowhere near, they have  _ no idea _ of his true capacity) as deadly. He spares a moment to think poetically of the loyal hunting dog bringing down the proud lion, and then shakes himself into action, leaping across the padded planks and stalking quietly across the silent deck of the Brigantine. His aim here is the captain--to take alive or dead, the government doesn’t care, but they want him  _ dealt with. _ His men spread out behind him, masked faces intent on their own targets. 

 

It’s too quiet. Kisuke hasn’t survived this long by  _ not _ trusting his instincts. He slips into the shadows, waiting with bated breath, but nothing happens. The ship is utterly silent. It should be, given that it’s midnight, and everyone should be asleep, but something still  _ feels  _ wrong. When nothing continues to happen, he glides back towards the captain’s quarters. 

 

He doesn't get to pick the lock-- the door swings open silently under his fingertips, and before he can take in more than a glance at the room, lighted with a single, swinging lantern, he’s seized and hauled backwards into a muscled chest, the razor edge of a blade pressed keenly against his throat. 

 

Kisuke understands in an instant what’s happened. The trap turned, the lion in wait for the dog. The entirety of the Moon-Cutter must have been waiting for them to make their move. How did they know he was coming? 

 

The grip holding his arm twisted behind his back is punishing, but Kisuke is more aware of the fluttering of his pulse against the sword at his neck, waiting for it to bite deeper. He’s holding his breath despite himself, his weapon skittered far out of reach on the floor. Failure here means death, yes--or worse. Kisuke  _ hopes _ they’ll just kill him. He’s not interested in being sold off, not again. But no, he’s being dragged forwards and pressed against the wall, his other wrist being captured and pinned in the small of his back. He lashes out, trying to headbutt his attacker, but the man holding him simply leans out of the way and then slams Kisuke against the wall again, harder this time. All the air escapes his lungs in a rush, and he slumps in his captor’s hold, stunned, as the man binds his hands securely behind him. He can hear, muzzily, the sounds of battle in the distance that indicate that his other crew members have failed. No doubt the Princess is being boarded at this very moment. 

 

He wishes he could have saved Tessai. Lady Yoruichi will be so disappointed. 

 

The hand with the blade returns to his throat, and Kisuke flinches despite himself. 

 

There’s a pause, and then the blade withdraws slightly. It’s not much of a reassurance, but it’s  _ something _ , and Kisuke clings to that as he’s marched down the passageway onto the main deck. 

 

The chaos there pauses as those still standing realize what's happened, and the last few of his men surrender their weapons. Even those on the Princess relent in short order. They're not warriors, most of them, and they know when they're outmatched. Kisuke wonders if he can negotiate to get them safe passage back to the nearest military port. He doesn't really have anything to offer that they can't simply  _ take,  _ but he's not above begging if necessary. Not for himself-- his fate is sealed one way or another-- but his crew hasn't done anything worse than follow his orders, not that he expects a pirate to care. 

 

Soon enough, his men have been herded into the brig, and Kisuke finds himself alone on a deck full of enemies. He drops his head, hiding behind his hair, as they gather around him and the captain, still holding him. He's guided to his knees, and two crew members step up to hold him there as the captain finally releases his throat, stalking around him to get a good grip on his chin, forcing his face upwards into the lantern light to get a good look at it. 

 

He should keep his eyes down, he knows, but Kisuke can’t manage to resist the urge to take in the face of the enemy captain in turn. He’s surprisingly young, a wild mane of violently orange hair shining burnished copper in the lantern-light. He looks...fierce, a satisfied scowl tracing his features. 

 

“Urahara Kisuke. I was hoping you’d visit us tonight. They told us you were coming, you know.” 

 

Kisuke jerks against the grip on his shoulders involuntarily, denial springing to his lips even as it dies away. He didn’t think he’d outlived his usefulness, not when he still had a chance at taking out this pirate. Why would they--

 

And yet, he doesn’t think the other captain is lying. He presses his lips together, averts his eyes. He doesn’t want to know, but he can’t  _ bear _ not to. 

 

“Who?”

 

The pirate captain smirks at him, amused and not even slightly helpful. 

 

“You’ll find out, soon enough. Now, as for your crew…”

 

Kisuke flattens his expression. He failed them, and now--

 

“We’ll be returning most of them to Karakura.”

 

That’s...surprisingly merciful. However, 

 

“Most?”

 

“Yeah. We’ll be keeping that one, y’know, the monk type with the braids?”

 

_ Tessai.  _

 

“And you, of course.”

 

Kisuke shudders, and the expression of the other captain softens momentarily. 

 

“I know it’s a little odd to say, at this point, but don’t worry. I’m not going to hurt either of you.” 

 

He leans closer, humming an odd note, and drops his voice to murmur in Kisuke’s ear. 

 

“A certain midnight cat suggested this, by the way. I do believe she intends to meet us as soon as we’re clear of Central’s reach.”

 

Kisuke stops dead. This puts  _ everything _ in a new perspective. Suddenly, the entire thing seems much less sinister.

  
Now he just needs to figure out  _ what the hell Yoruichi was thinking. _

**Author's Note:**

> Discord!
> 
> https://discord.gg/MMuJJjE


End file.
